Page 25 of Old Secrets

“It’s why his parents ended up steamrolling him as bad as they did. Everyone assumed Jake is dominant. He’s really not. So, when his parents applied pressure, he caved. His nature is one of cooperation rather than control,” Mellisa informed me. “As such, he was quite easy for them to push over and control. This was one of the core problems with your relationship. On the surface, Jake appears to be a dominant, so he should be able to withstand such pressure. In reality, he got torn apart because he is not naturally equipped with handling that sort of situation.” With a smile, Mellisa got up and dropped a kiss on my husband’s brow. “You’re a big giant of a softy, and the reality of the situation? You need a great deal of affection to thrive. You’re a great deal more aggressive than he’ll ever be, Karma, so you’ll end up defending him more often than not. Once you’re both in a better mental state, I expect you’ll take untraditional roles, with you handling the majority of the frontline work, Karma. Jake’s always going to fit best with you in a supporting role.”

I blinked, stared at Jake, and as the implications of Mellisa’s words sank in, my eyes widened. “Jake’s submissive?”

My Jake, who got snarly whenever anyone entered his turf or he thought someone would interfere with us again? Him? Submissive?

Jake took one look at my face and laughed. “You look completely shell shocked. It makes sense. She’s been talking to me about it because my parents raised me to be dominant, but the reality is, I’m not nearly as dominant as they would like me to be. As I was incorrectly ranked, I have a lot of habits fairly destructive to me she’s working on resolving.” Then he smirked and added, “But don’t worry, I will be as dominant as you want in our bedroom. That’s the sort of dominance battle I like.”

“I will rip your intestine out through your big toe,” I warned him.

“That’s the Karma I know and love,” he replied.

SIX

“Do you need some time alone with your new friend?”

Our flight arrived without incident, and we were met by a group of guides. I had no idea what I would do with three Fenerec women, but they took startling delight in my existence, focusing on the white tips of my hair and the paleness of my skin. I’d suspected someone had suggested they take a more relaxed approach, something I appreciated. Their open curiosity, especially about my giant of a spouse, amused me.

We made the harrowing journey through the chaos that was Tokyo to arrive at a high-end hotel. Our suite soared over the city, elegant while tiny, especially by American standards. I doubted Jake would fit on the bed, but he’d cope with his feet dangling off the end—or he’d curl around me.

I expected he would indulge in his inclination to trap me next to him while he slept.

I didn’t mind. I appreciated his willingness to serve as my personal furnace.

Rather than enjoy some private time together, we packed six Japanese Inquisition members into the room, and they brought gifts of weapons, body armor, and intel. The fully automatic Glock, the same model as Pauline’s, would go home with me. The firearm was registered in my name, and they’d acquired all the necessary forms for me to take it into China. While I fought the urge to cuddle with it, I failed, pressing the unloaded gun’s barrel to my cheek. “She’s mine, Jake.”

He’d have to deal with me sleeping with her, cleaning her daily, and heading to the range to become close friends with her. Our hosts had given him one, too, but mine was better. Mine had custom white and black grips, a match for my fur. His had chocolate and gold-colored grips, a match for his fur.

“Do you need some time alone with your new friend?” he teased.

I gave my gun a kiss, returned her to her case, and petted her before putting her away. “I’ll be okay for a while. There’s not going to be a repeat of London, assuming they don’t get a headshot in.”

“We will be going to Shiroishi, where you two can shift to your animal forms. We have found someone who will be able to deceive anyone into believing she is you. We have made arrangements for why your mate will not be with you, Karma-sama,” Aiko, the leader of the Japanese women, said, gesturing to the new itinerary, which had undergone some minor changes since our flight. During the introductions, we’d made an arrangement where we’d all use our first names with the appropriate honorifics, a blend of Japanese and American customs. “Jake-sama will be taken on a special tour of how those in Shiroishi care for the many foxes. You will go pay respects at the shrine. There is a space there where it will be easy to separate you away from watchful eyes. The woman serving as your double will take your place, and Jake-sama will be able to transform to his wolf in one of the buildings used to care for the foxes and sneak out through a passage, which emerges among the fox dens. She will be given your clothes and weapon, although it will not be loaded. She has other tools at her disposal.”

“Thank you, Aiko-san.” I didn’t understand the honorifics the Japanese used, but I’d been promised if I attached -san to the end of any name given to me, it would be acceptable. Nobody had explained why Jake and I were referred to as -sama while we were to use -san, but I assumed it had something to do with our willingness to turn ourselves into targets.

Still, the idea of having someone serve as my double bothered me. “And this double will be safe?”

“Oh, yes. Very safe. She is…” Aiko made a gesture, something I learned meant she lacked a word in English to describe what she meant. “She has power, and she is willing to use her power. They will only wish a gun might work against her. A gun will do nothing against her. She will be safe. She is old, and old things have power.”

“Oh! Like how witches can use glamours to hide things? That sort of power? Is that how she will disguise herself as me?”

“Similar but not the same. Just rest assured she will be safe enough and can take your place for this. These fools will not be able to tell the difference between you two once she is finished. Then you and your mate may hunt them freely while she draws their attention and exposes them. The village will be closed while we are there, to allow time to care for the foxes, of course. We have made a false claim that there was a health concern with them we wish to address.”

“The foxes will be safe?” I asked.

“They shall be as safe as we can make them,” Aiko promised. “They are wise, and they will likely find you both to be quite fascinating. Their village is operated by the Inquisition here. It is a good thing for our witches and our wolves to be close to nature. The tourists fund many things, including their care. We pretend like the village needs the donations, but in reality, it is quite wealthy. It is just dressed up to appear otherwise. You will find Shiroishi is filled with many secrets. Those who are not aware of the village’s secrets tend to visit the shrine and enjoy meeting the foxes without ever knowing they have walked among witches and wolves.”

Jake took his time introducing himself to his new gun, and once he had given it a complete inspection, he returned it to its case. “Do you think this woman’s glamour will be able to trick our targets?”

“Without question,” Aiko confirmed. “We also have good reason to believe we will lure at least a few of this organization to Shiroishi. We have carefully monitored activities around your itinerary and the intel we have, who you have spoken to, and who they have spoken to. Your FBI was quite helpful with this. We feel we will get at least six of them to come out. Dead is preferred. We have ways of making the dead speak.”

A chill went through me, as there were those within the United States who cultivated power through life and death. Very few sorcerers survived the Inquisition, but some of them could learn secrets from the dead.

I’d been given a short briefing about sorcerers. Outside a very short list of names, the only good sorcerer was a dead one. One of the names had startled me, as the man worked in an emergency room and used the deaths of those who couldn’t be saved to save those who might live with a little help. The numbers didn’t lie.

His ER had the best survival rate in the United States, and so he lived.

“Do you have intel on our potential targets?” I asked, hoping we could get in some education about who we’d be hunting.